She’s Just Too Hard to Win Over [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 18

Ning Xue froze, her wide eyes blinking rapidly as her brain struggled to process what she’d just heard.

Pain? Shouldn’t she be taking medicine for that? Why would she want me to kiss her? A kiss can’t make the pain go away… can it?

Jing Ling let out a shaky breath, a thin sheen of sweat glistening across her nose. “It really hurts,” she murmured.

She wasn’t begging outright, but her tone, her trembling body, the way she looked at her—it all made Ning Xue’s heart ache.

Without thinking, Ning Xue reached out to wipe the sweat from her nose, then leaned down and gently pressed her lips to Jing Ling’s.

This time, her lips were different from before cool to the touch, trembling slightly. She must really be in pain.

After four or five seconds, Ning Xue drew back a little, her voice soft. “Does it feel better now?”

Jing Ling lowered her gaze, her long lashes casting faint shadows over her eyes, making them look deep and unreadable.

“That won’t work,” she whispered. “It has to be like this.”

Before Ning Xue could react, Jing Ling hooked an arm around her neck and pulled her in. Their lips met again this time hot, desperate and a nimble tongue pried past her teeth, claiming every breath she had.

It was only the second time Ning Xue had experienced a kiss like this. The first was the night Jing Ling had been sick. Back then, she’d been able to push her away. But now, seeing her covered in wounds, she couldn’t bear to resist.

Ning Xue made a muffled sound of protest, but most of it was swallowed by Jing Ling’s kiss. The soft noises of lips and breath tangled in the quiet air, filling the room with a hazy, intimate heat.

Jing Ling couldn’t stop herself. She kissed her until Ning Xue’s face turned crimson and her body went weak, collapsing softly against her chest. Only then did she reluctantly let her go.

Ning Xue gasped for air, her lips slightly swollen, her eyes shimmering like spring peach blossoms beautiful, fragile, and painfully alluring.

Jing Ling licked her lips, tasting the sweetness she’d stolen, her heart surging while her gaze grew darker.

But this still wasn’t enough. Not even close.

She wanted Ning Xue to belong to her completely to fill her heart, her eyes, her whole world with nothing but her.

Still, now wasn’t the time to push. She didn’t want to scare her off… and honestly, seeing her blush and panic like this was its own kind of delight.

“D-Does it feel better now?”

Ning Xue’s head hung low, her hands twisting the hem of her shirt. She didn’t even dare look at her.

If there were a hole in the ground, she would’ve gladly crawled into it.

Once or twice could be called an accident… but three times? Four?

They were both completely sober this time. She couldn’t even fool herself anymore who was she supposed to blame for this?

Jing Ling slipped an arm around her and whispered, “Much better. Thanks to you.”

Her voice had gone husky, low and rough, carrying a dangerous sort of allure.

That voice brushed against Ning Xue’s ear, making her heart skip before she accidentally met Jing Ling’s gaze.

In those eyes, she saw her own reflection flushed cheeks, lips slightly parted her expression soft and dazed.

What… what even is this?!

Flustered, Ning Xue broke away from her arms and scrambled to tidy the first-aid kit.

“You should rest. I’ll ask Fang Ningchen to make you something to eat.”

Grabbing the keys, she hurried toward the door, only to bump her leg against the corner of the coffee table with a loud thud.

Jing Ling watched her, the faintest curve playing at her lips before her eyes quieted again, deep and unreadable.

Outside, Ning Xue leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths until the heat faded from her face. Then she went to the kitchen.

Fang Ningchen was already there, sleeves rolled up, busy at the counter. When Ning Xue asked for something light and easy to digest, he took out a half fish from the fridge and started stewing it.

“Fish soup,” he said, still chopping as he talked. “Good for recovery. Is Jing Ling sick? Serious?”

“Just… a regular cold,” Ning Xue replied, forcing a smile.

She wasn’t exactly lying, but there was no easy way to explain why someone from a “lawful society” came home covered in cuts.

Fang Ningchen paused, knife still in hand, and looked at her seriously. “Don’t you think you’re being too nice to Jing Ling? You stayed at her place when she was sick last time, and now you’re taking care of her again. I mean, it’s good to help friends, but…”

He hesitated. “It’s just she seems to have… special feelings for you. Maybe you should keep some distance. What if she misunderstands?”

Ning Xue gave a weak laugh. Too late for that, she thought. Not just her I think I’m the one acting strange now.

When the soup was ready, she carried it to Jing Ling’s place. She stood outside the door for a long moment, bracing herself before she finally went in.

Jing Ling was lying on the sofa with her eyes closed. When she heard the door, she opened them slowly, looking up with a dazed, pitiful expression that made Ning Xue’s heart melt instantly.

“I brought fish soup,” she said softly. “Fang Ningchen made it—it’s really good.”

Jing Ling sat up, wincing. “Ah… I think the wound on my arm reopened.”

Ning Xue immediately stopped her from moving. “Don’t get up. I’ll feed you.”

She carefully spooned the soup to her lips, one mouthful at a time.

When they finished, she stood to leave, but Jing Ling caught her hand. “Can’t you stay with me?”

Ning Xue glanced at her pale face and the faintly visible wounds on her chest. She sighed in defeat.

“I’ll just return the bowl and come back, okay? Be good and wait for me.”

Jing Ling obediently let go, her eyes soft.

That night, they shared the same bed again but Ning Xue’s heart wasn’t the same.

Before, she’d tried to convince herself not to think beyond friendship. But now, listening to the steady rhythm of Jing Ling’s breathing beside her, she found herself wanting to get just a little closer.

Annoyed by her own unruly thoughts, she turned over, facing away.

Then Jing Ling slipped an arm around her waist from behind, resting her face in the curve of Ning Xue’s neck.

“Good night,” she whispered.

Ning Xue didn’t reply. Only after a long silence, when she heard the calm, even breaths behind her, did she whisper back, “Good night.”

Jing Ling smiled against her skin and held her tighter.

The next morning, before Ning Xue left for school, she bought breakfast for her and reminded her to rest well.

Jing Ling half-opened her eyes, her voice soft and lazy. “I think… the wound’s starting to hurt again.”

Ning Xue knew exactly what she meant.

But with that husky, just-woken voice tugging at her heart, how could she refuse?

She leaned down and brushed a light kiss against Jing Ling’s lips. “Be good and wait for me to come back.”

Jing Ling blinked and nodded. “Mm.”

【Ding! Target’s favorability +4. Current total: 10 points.】

Hearing the system’s prompt, Ning Xue couldn’t help but smile.
but when she returned home that evening, Jing Ling was nowhere to be found.